I am now ready to buy my HDTV. I have been looking at the big Samsungs. Remember this is the first tv for a non tv home. We will mostly be watching CDs and downloads, not much broadcast...except for the Superbowl for my son (if I can figure out how to stream it on the net).

The big Samsungs often have 3D. Will the 3D affect the regular view? I am looking for a clear viewing set that will manage action

I keep reading that TV is changing and I wonder whether these TVs are old technology?

Can I actualy put an aerial on it?

Can these tvs live in a room that in the winter sometimes go down to 60's or even 50's? I would heat the room before I use it.

I have a BJs card and they sell them there. CNET also has them by price at their site.

One last question: is it better with respect to price, to buy now during the Christmas season or wait for the football season.

I am now ready to buy my HDTV. I have been looking at the big Samsungs. Remember this is the first tv for a non tv home. We will mostly be watching CDs and downloads, not much broadcast...except for the Superbowl for my son (if I can figure out how to stream it on the net).

The big Samsungs often have 3D. Will the 3D affect the regular view? I am looking for a clear viewing set that will manage action

I keep reading that TV is changing and I wonder whether these TVs are old technology?

Can I actualy put an aerial on it?

Can these tvs live in a room that in the winter sometimes go down to 60's or even 50's? I would heat the room before I use it.

I have a BJs card and they sell them there. CNET also has them by price at their site.

One last question: is it better with respect to price, to buy now during the Christmas season or wait for the football season.

Yes, TV is changing. I have several different kinds and ages. I refuse to spend $100 per month of my social security money on cable or satellite. I have converter boxes or regular antenna for my newest “modern” TV. Any time a plane flies over, someone walks above or below my room, I am likely to loose signal. SOME IMPROVEMENT!! I wish I knew who to bitch to or vote out of office.

I'm a novice, just letting you know what I have. I bought an Apple TV, a little box that allows you to stream content wirelessly from your home network or home computers. There are other similar products available from big-box stores, around the same price ($99). But if you stream content, a lot of it requires payment for rental or buying. I got Netflix, and can stream lots of movies and seasons of TV shows for $8 a month. I don't miss my Cable premium channels, which I cancelled. $8 a month is cheap.

The Apple devices allow you to easily wirelessly stream photos and video from your computers, iPads and iPhones to your HDTV via Apple TV. Pretty cool, as I used to have to run a cable, now it's all wireless.

I also tried to run a digital antenna (on my roof) but reception sucks in my area, you may have better luck.

If you are buying an HDTV, and want the best quality picture available in all formats (that’s what a TV does, right? Presents a picture, right?) then get a:
1 High end Pan TC-PVT30 series (this year)
2 Alternate - Pan GT30 series 50/55 etc (last year)
The SPORTS are INCREDIBLE with NO ARTIFACTS(blur) on screen.
If you don’t believe, then do a side-by-side test to Sammy or Sony or any ‘old LG.
Do your own research, ‘see’ for yourself.
You cannot understand until side by side, don’t be fooled by uncalibrated VERY BRIGHT stuff at store- “gee, that’s neat! “ That brightness is color which is WASHED OUT.
You’ll go panny.
It Rocks.
Period.

16
posted on 12/02/2011 4:50:04 PM PST
by foldspace
(Barak Obama is still not a >convicted< criminal...)

Hi FRiend,
Mrs. Slim and I have a couple of the Vizio TV’s (42” biggest). They’ve been great. Run them off indoor antenna’s and we’re in the boonies so we get about 5 over the air channels. We keep the house around 65 degrees, but I have one in the garage, and that is in the 50’s with no problems.

1. 3D will not effect regular viewing. It is a feature that requires special content (currently BluRay DVD). For your needs, I do not recommend 3D - save the $$. All new TV’s can “manage action”. If this is really important, focus on a screen refresh rate of at least 120Hz. If it’s REALLY important to you, buy a plasma TV.

2. There is no new disruptive TV technology out there, so its a good time to buy without worry of obsolesence.

3. The electronics can easily handle 50-60 degrees.

4. BJ’s is a good retailer. Check their return policy. COSTCO has 90 Days no questions asked.

5. 40% of all TV’s are sold in the Christmas season because that’s when the best price/value can be found. Don’t wait for the Super Bowl.

6. Buy a name brand. Off brands have crappy service.

Good luck!

21
posted on 12/02/2011 4:53:18 PM PST
by Oldeconomybuyer
(The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)

My middle of the pack Samsung (1 year old) has a very nice picture, but not when there is a lot of motion. Then it has significant pixellation. I think this will depend on the model you purchase and is not indicative of all Samsung products. However, my Sony has very little pixellation.

You will need a sound system because the speakers on the Samsung are pretty bad. My Sony has very good sound, but even so I use a surround sound system on all my TVs. The Samsung tuner is quite good and outperforms the Sony in picking up over the air broadcast TV. My antenna uses a Motorola amplifier, which helps with all my systems.

I don’t usually heat the gym where I keep the Samsung and it is below 60 some nights and it is not a problem.

For example, I have an inexpensive video camera that comes with cables to hook up to a TV using phono jacks for L&R sound and composite video. SVGA would be another jack to have for hooking up older hardware that may be laying around.

The main thing to worry about is to control the humidity to prevent moisture condensing in the room. Electronics work fine in those temperatures so long as there isn’t any moisture in them.
___________________

Maine in the winter? Humidity must be about 17%.

28
posted on 12/02/2011 4:59:36 PM PST
by Chickensoup
(In the 20th century 200 million people were killed by their own governments.)

Technology keeps progressing and with Murphy’s Law, by the time it breaks down or wears out, there will something better and cheaper. Don’t wait - buy now and don’t worry about what comes out in the next six months.

You also want a home theatre controller. This is like a multi input amp, so that all your inputs can go into your sound system. Then you only need one input into the screen - from the controller/amp to the screen.

I’d also recommend a Seagate Home Theater Plus or the equivalent unit fro Western Digital if you don’t have a direct connection to a computer. These inexpensive units let you access content off the web, or from a small portable hard drive, which can store tons of stuff, by the way - movies, TV specials etc.

I would also stay away from power-hungry, heavy, plasma. LCD has improved to the point that it is almost always the best, least expensive choice.

Ok this is going to sound silly but we are thinking of maybe or not getting a new TV. We both really do not care if we do our not so time and price are on our side....anyway if you really want to learn about the “problems” a TV can have type in a google search
“Do (name of what ever brand, size or model you are looking at) suck”....believe it or not, this most basic sentence does a great search with peoples reviews of TV’s they don’t like.

My friend’s Sharp Aquos looked very nice, but he paid a lot more than I did for my Samsung. Also I paid nearly twice as much for the Sony, but the picture is nearly perfect, while the Samsung suffers from motion artifacts. The Samsung is good for watching non-action programs.

Hi FRiend,
Mrs. Slim and I have a couple of the Vizio TVs (42 biggest). Theyve been great. Run them off indoor antennas and were in the boonies so we get about 5 over the air channels. We keep the house around 65 degrees, but I have one in the garage, and that is in the 50s with no problems.

___________________

Hello FRiend! I hope you are yours are enjoying the season. Thank you for the information. My son, btw is looking at community colleges. He is now a jr. Firefighter and is involved with heavy equipment. I am so proud.

39
posted on 12/02/2011 5:03:59 PM PST
by Chickensoup
(In the 20th century 200 million people were killed by their own governments.)

Picked up a Vizio 42 inch hdtv 2 years ago. Has run 8-10 hours per day since new with zero problems. Great picture, even when viewing from angles other than straight on, (unlike some other brands), good sound also. I live high up in the Mountains/boonies and use Dish Network with it. I am replacing another room’s TV shortly and I am buying this exact same model again simply because of the first one’s dependability, performance and competitive price.

The problem with that is that you can find people who complain about anything. Better to go to a place like Amazon and the look at the ratings. You can then see the proportion of good to bad by the number of stars.

Ok this is going to sound silly but we are thinking of maybe or not getting a new TV. We both really do not care if we do our not so time and price are on our side....anyway if you really want to learn about the problems a TV can have type in a google search
____________________

After 25 years without one, this is going to be the family treat and our time at the movies.

48
posted on 12/02/2011 5:11:07 PM PST
by Chickensoup
(In the 20th century 200 million people were killed by their own governments.)

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